Homeschool Organization Tips

Books, paperwork, arts and crafts materials, oh my! Some simple organization techniques can help you keep things under control so that school doesn’t take over your entire home. How do you keep your homeschool area organized?

If you’re not the most organized person, you may think that because of this you’ll be facing a next to impossible task when it comes to planning your child’s homeschool curriculum. You’ll be happy to learn that, with the help of the Internet and other homeschool organizers, even the most disorganized Mom can achieve lesson-planning success.

Probably the simplest way to ensure your lesson plans will be organized is to purchase a complete curriculum homeschool organizer package. There are many online vendors that offer this option, for instance Amazon.com sells The Home School Organizer. These packages are available for all grade levels, and are very comprehensive.

Many times these packages are made available on auction sites, like eBay, at a fraction of the original cost and in like-new condition.

There are many homeschool-related sites on the Internet that provide printables which work wonders when trying to stay organized. Everything from lesson planning forms, to calendars, to grade sheets, to blackline maps, to book report forms, to award certificates, to so much more. Why spend time and money shopping when you can download these for the cost of paper and ink?

Visit your local bookstore or library. There have been a great many books written on the art of homeschool organization. The great thing about these principles is that once learned they can be applied to all aspects of your life, not just homeschooling. Your family will be more relaxed in an organized environment and your house will be neater too.

Buy a file cabinet. It will quickly become your new best friend. Start a separate folder for each subject you will be teaching. Start folders for such things as field trip ideas, completed projects, potential projects, etc. Remember to file away the papers you won’t be using for that day, instead of letting them pile up on your desk.

You can be organized while homeschooling. It just takes the right tools and a bit of effort, but the rewards are worth it.

Here is what another mom had to say about organizing her homeschool setup:

Pick an area with a table such as the dining room where all of the main work can be conducted. Use bookshelves, rolling containers, and other storage media to keep supplies organized and in one area. If you are home schooling children in different grade levels, separate their items into different containers so materials are easy to locate when you need them. This area will double as your grading and lesson plan area when class is not in session.

Decide how many hours a day will be devoted to school. This time can begin at eight o’clock or at ten o’clock. The schedule will work around the best time of day for you and the children. Sleepy children do not make good students.

With that issue taken care of, don’t forget chores. Design a master calendar or white board for a chore listing and one for class schedules. Each child will know when the school day begins, when and what chores they need to do each day, along with other activities. This will help your child to establish their own routines as well, by knowing where to start each day.

The house will not be neat as a pin all the time. There will be toys, books, clothes that need washing and the rest. A list of chores enlists the aid of the entire family to keep the house organized in light of the home school atmosphere. When you don’t have to tackle everything by yourself, the stress level goes down for you and the rest of the family.

Homeschooling Resources

Confused about homeschooling curriculum?Try Curriculum-Fair In-A-Box - It's a collection of actual samples from the major curriculum publishers. Plus there is some other good stuff too!